Chapter 3818: First Forbidden Zone Done!
Chapter 3818: First Forbidden Zone Done!
Lin Mu watched Xiao Yin lying upside down inside the trench she had carved into the earth while Xiao Yang laughed so hard that he rolled across the barren ground, leaving another shallow groove behind.
The two serpents had completely abandoned any sense of restraint. Every movement they made carried enough force to shake the surroundings, and their intoxicated giggling only made the situation seem even more absurd.
He let out a long sigh before rubbing his forehead.
"That’s enough," he muttered.
The twins looked at him with unfocused eyes.
"Master?" Xiao Yin asked, tilting her head so far that she nearly rolled over again.
"Play?" Xiao Yang added hopefully.
"We’re done playing outside." Lin Mu said firmly.
"Aww..." both complained together.
Lin Mu folded his arms. "I said enough."
The firmness in his voice finally reached them, though it clearly took several moments for their drunken minds to process his words. Eventually the two little serpents slowly slithered back toward him while continuing to sway from side to side.
Little Shrubby sat nearby with his tail wrapped around his paws, looking more amused than concerned.
"They’re actually listening," he commented.
"Barely." Lin Mu looked toward the surrounding landscape.
The hundred meter trench Xiao Yin had carved through the ground was already enough to draw attention if anyone happened to inspect Emperor Rock. Fortunately, the forbidden zone remained isolated and empty during the night.
Still, he had no intention of gambling further as one accident could still be dismissed and two could perhaps be explained away. But if he allowed the twins to continue running around for another hour, Emperor Rock would probably look as though two ancient beasts had fought a battle here.
That was the last thing he wanted. The Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect had left this forbidden zone alone for countless years. Any sudden disturbance would certainly attract investigators.
Considering he had only entered the sect yesterday, becoming the focus of an investigation was practically the opposite of what he needed.
Without another word, Lin Mu opened the link to the Sleepscape. "You two are going back."
The twins immediately protested.
"We’re fine!"
"We’re completely fine!"
"You are drunk." Lin Mu retorted.
"We’re..." Xiao Yang paused. "...happy."
"Very happy," Xiao Yin agreed enthusiastically.
Lin Mu merely smiled faintly. "You can be happy inside the Sleepscape."
Before either serpent could complain again, he gently picked them both up. The two made absolutely no effort to resist. Instead they lazily wrapped themselves around his arms while continuing to giggle.
"Master has warm shoulders."
"I like master’s shoulders."
Lin Mu shook his head before sending both of them into the Sleepscape. Their cheerful hissing immediately faded from the outside world and silence finally returned to Emperor Rock.
He released a quiet breath. "That should prevent any more trouble."
Inwardly, he made a firm mental note. From now on, the twins would only receive tiny pieces of the crystal.
Very tiny pieces and perhaps once every few weeks. Certainly never enough for them to lose themselves like this again.
"They don’t get drunk from immortal liquor," Lin Mu muttered to himself while looking toward the storage ring. "Yet a tiny piece of cursed crystal leaves them acting like children who discovered an endless candy shop."
He honestly found it difficult to understand. During their previous travels, the twins had stolen several jars of powerful immortal wine from a banquet. Together they had emptied nearly half a barrel.
Afterward they had remained perfectly sober. Meanwhile one mouthful of condensed cursed Qi had left them unable to walk in a straight line.
"Truly cursed..." Lin Mu said with a helpless smile.
Xukong chuckled softly inside the ring. "There is actually a reasonable explanation."
Lin Mu immediately listened.
"The twins’ bodies are extremely efficient at processing ordinary substances. Alcohol is broken down almost immediately and converted into Yin and Yang Qi before it has any opportunity to affect them."
"So liquor simply becomes cultivation resources." Lin Mu replied.
"Precisely."
"And this crystal?"
"This is different." Xukong sounded slightly amused himself. "Pure Cursed Qi does not follow the same pathways. Their bloodline can digest it without harm, though the process temporarily affects their spiritual consciousness before complete refinement occurs."
"So the intoxication is unavoidable."
"For now."
Lin Mu nodded thoughtfully. "They might eventually adapt."
"They probably will," Xukong agreed. "Given enough exposure, their constitutions should naturally develop resistance."
Lin Mu smiled. "I think I’ll let that adaptation happen very slowly."
He had absolutely no desire to witness drunken twins every other day. Only then did he notice Little Shrubby staring toward the storage ring. More specifically toward the location where the crystal had disappeared.
Lin Mu raised an eyebrow. "You want to try it too?"
"What?" Little Shrubby immediately wrinkled his nose. "No."
He looked almost offended. "That thing smells terrible."
Lin Mu blinked."Really?"
"Really." The liger shook his head vigorously. "It smells... strange."
He searched for the proper words. "Like wet rocks soaked in old smoke mixed with rotten herbs."
Lin Mu could only laugh.
"The twins described it as delicious though."
"They’re weird."
"They certainly are."
Little Shrubby continued frowning. "I can’t even imagine cooking with something like that."
"There’s no meat it would improve." His expression became increasingly serious. "No vegetables either."
"I don’t think any seasoning could fix that smell." He sniffed the air again before grimacing. "Whoever created cursed crystals clearly knew nothing about cooking."
Lin Mu felt surprisingly relieved. If Little Shrubby had also developed a taste for the crystals, things might have become far more troublesome. A drunken Xiao Yin and Xiao Yang were already difficult enough.
A drunken Little Shrubby... Lin Mu did not even wish to imagine it.
The liger’s speed already bordered on the absurd. If intoxication removed whatever caution he possessed, Lin Mu doubted he could even catch him before half the Inner Court had been flattened.
Thankfully the cursed crystals seemed appealing only to the twins. Different bloodlines clearly reacted differently.
"Looks like these will remain your junior siblings’ special treats."
"They can have all of them." Little Shrubby nodded. "I’ll stick to roasted beast meat."
"Good choice."